dental
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the teeth.
-
of or relating to dentistry or a dentist.
-
Phonetics.
-
(of a speech sound) articulated with the tongue tip touching the back of the upper front teeth or immediately above them, as French t.
-
alveolar, as English t.
-
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to the teeth
-
of or relating to dentistry
-
phonetics
-
pronounced or articulated with the tip of the tongue touching the backs of the upper teeth, as for t in French tout
-
(esp in the phonology of some languages, such as English) another word for alveolar
-
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dental
1585–95; < Medieval Latin dentālis, equivalent to Latin dent- (stem of dēns ) tooth + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
The adjective dental describes things that have something to do with teeth. Dental floss is the waxed string you use to clean between your teeth. A dental hygienist is the dentist's assistant, the one who cleans and polishes your teeth. When your dentist's office calls to remind you about your appointment, they might say, "You have a dental cleaning scheduled for next week." In phonetics, a dental is a sound that's made with your tongue touching your top teeth, like th-. In Middle French, dental means "of teeth," from the Latin dens, "tooth."
Vocabulary lists containing dental
Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 6–November 12, 2021
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
carn (flesh), derm (skin), dent (tooth), os (bone)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tools are scattered throughout the studio, including a plumber’s torch for melting glass, crockpots for pickling and a dental tool she uses to stamp her logo, VM, short for Verre Modern, onto her ceramics.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
A painful tooth, or even one that simply feels unusual, could point to more than a dental problem.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
The White House announced on Monday that the president would undergo a medical and dental examination on May 26 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, near Washington.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
But Liggett's interest was in exploring the impact that different radiation could have and after experimenting using dental and hospital X-rays, he turned his attention to space.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
“My father ran away. He ran away with a dental hygienist named Lee Ann Dickerson, and he isn’t coming back.”
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
